Lead-Free NM255 Bullets For Norway

Nammo (the Nordic Ammunition Group) is supplying the Norwegian Armed Forces with advanced new environmentally-friendly bullets, it's been announced.

Through a circa-$870m contract, the firm's lead-free NM255 bullets will be supplied to members of the Royal Norwegian Army.

According to Nammo, the NM255's associated exhaust gas and dust particle release levels undercut those of other bullets. This, it says, gives it a stronger eco profile, compared to previous types of bullet.

NM255 Bullets

"We are proud to supply world class ammunition that is both environmental friendly and fully satisfies the customer's demands for operational function", Nammo's CEO and President, Edgar Fossheim, explained in a company press release on the lead-free NM255 bullets.

"We have developed new, improved lead-free ammunition of world class quality, another company representative added. "For Nammo, it is important to be at the forefront of future environmental requirements and to develop products that are less harmful to the health of the users and cause less damage to the environment."

Lead-Free Bullet

Crucially, the NM255 lead-free bullet does not expose the soldiers who handle it to potentially very dangerous emissions of lead.

In Norwegian Armed Forces service, the NM255 bullet will be teamed up with the (Heckler & Koch) HK416 rifle. This is a German-built assault rifle used by many nations including, besides Norway, Germany, France, Poland, Japan and the US. It replaced the Royal Norwegian Army's 1960s-era AG-3 rifles and, in 2010, there were over 8,000 in use.

Based in Norway, Nammo is a Norwegian and Finnish arms production group jointly owned by Patria and the Norwegian Ministry of Trade. Established in 1998, it manufactures missiles, propulsion systems and ammunition and has production facilities in seven countries.

The Norwegian Armed Forces NM255 lead-free bullet order will be filled by a Swedish Nammo facility and, from here on in, the firm anticipates that other military users will express interest in this hi-tech ammunition.

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